Lawmakers didn’t touch seven recommendations, and haven’t fully implemented any of the 20.

Still, Otter and several task force members said they are satisfied with these first steps, and recognize that hard work and hundreds of millions of dollars worth of funding challenges remain.

“Everything we identified in October that can be done and should be done in this legislative session is happening,” said State Superintendent Tom Luna, a task force member. “Those required a pretty significant financial investment this year, and we all know it’s going to take four to five years to implement these.”

“The system we have here allows committee chairmen to decide, essentially, what will be heard – whether it’s an education task force bill, a pre-K bill, an Add the Words bill or even a salamander bill,” said House Assistant Minority Leader Grant Burgoyne, D-Boise. “If somebody doesn’t want to hear it and they’re in the right position, you don’t get to hear it.”

But Democrats said they shared their legislation with Republicans and some proposals were incorporated into bills that did pass.

Still, Luna said, “I’ll be frank: I think they should have been printed and maybe had a hearing.”

Idaho Education Association President Penni Cyr, a task force member, said she didn’t expect lawmakers to address all 20 recommendations this year. Instead, everyone understood the magnitude of the process would require several years.

“I don’t think we recommend, out of the box, all 20,” Cyr said. “We acknowledge these recommendations are 30,000-foot recommendations. There is a whole lot of detail on every one of them that still needs to be developed.”

Additionally, committees and working groups convened by the State Board of Education and other organizations will work this summer to develop specific plans for other recommendations – plans that will be forwarded to the 2015 Idaho Legislature.

Content mastery-based education system: No progress. Students would advance in school based on content mastery, instead of sitting in classes for an academic year. “It’s not as simple as passing a rule or law to allow mastery, we did that three years ago,” Luna said. “You have to look at funding formulas and look at calendars and minimum days.”

Support Idaho Core Standards: Partial implementation. The standards were adopted in 2011, and the 2014-15 school budget funds professional development so teachers can continue training and implementing the new English language arts and math standards. Additionally, the session ended without a serious threat to repeal or halt the standards.

Literary proficiency: No progress during the legislative session. A committee is being formed to examine reading standards and the Idaho Reading Indicator, in hopes of improving literacy rates by third grade.

Educator and student technological devices: Partial implementation. The K-12 budget includes $3 million for another round of technology pilot programs. But the state has not yet moved toward a plan to offer every student and teacher access to a technology device.

Career ladder compensation model: Partial implementation. This is perhaps the most expensive recommendation, at more than $250 million. The K-12 budget includes $15.8 million for teacher leadership premiums – a small component to the career ladder. A technical advisory committee is developing the career ladder, which was not ready for action this year.

Enrollment model of funding schools: Not implemented. Idaho funds schools based on complex formulas involving average daily attendance. Lawmakers made no significant progress on this issue, but the State Board’s structure and governance committee is expected to look at it.

Tiered licensure: Not implemented. This is closely related to a career ladder, and the technical advisory committee is undertaking the plan.

Mentoring: Partial implementation. Leadership premiums can be awarded to teachers who mentor other educators. Many districts already use professional learning communities of educators to facilitate teamwork, professional development and mentoring.

Ongoing job-embedded professional learning: Partial implementation. The K-12 budget includes money for teachers’ professional development. The state also offers Idaho Core Standards coaches and a regional math center.

Site-based collaboration: Partial implementation. Like the previous recommendation, funding for professional development is included in the K-12 budget. Specific rules and programs may be created in future years.

Training for administrators, superintendents and school boards: Partial implementation. Horman’s House Bill 521 provides money for training school board members. The Idaho School Boards Association and Idaho Association of School Administrators also offer training to their members.

Pre-service teaching opportunities through state colleges: Partial implementation. Idaho is one of seven states that received a two-year $237,000 Network for Transforming Educator Preparation grant. The money will be used to help ensure teachers are ready to take on a classroom on their first day on the job.

Participation in the Council of Chief State School Officers’ “Our Responsibility, Our Promise” program: Partial implementation. This recommendation encompasses many other task force recommendations, and is directly related to the two-year $237,000 NTEP grant and the pre-service teacher training recommendation.

Disclosure: Schoolnet was funded through a startup grant from the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation, which also funds Idaho Education News.